The Loma Linda University Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Studies is conducting a groundbreaking survey on attitudes toward the environment and conservation, particularly of those who love plants and animals. The results from this study, to be published in a professional journal, will contribute to our understanding of the role of plants and animals in society. Participants are urgently needed to complete the survey, which should take about 5-10 minutes of your time. Please click on the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R9PFYRN

Once the survey closes (probably late November), I will hustle to analyze the data and post preliminary findings here. I think that readers will take considerable interest in the findings...seriously! Please email me a reminder by Christmas if I have not posted an update.

As opportunity arises, I'll try to post more about some of the activities in my research lab. My students and I are studying the behavior and ecology of rattlesnakes and boas, with an emphasis on how snakes use their venom. It's amazing how much misinformation is out there regarding how snakes use their venom and how dangerous they are to humans. Many people, for example, believe fervently that baby snakes are more deadly than adults because they can't control how much venom they eject when biting, and therefore deliver all of it. The reality is that baby snakes have a VERY SMALL amount of venom to begin with compared to adults, there is evidence they can indeed control how much they release (just like the adults), and there is abundant evidence that they cause less severe envenomation in humans compared to adults. I have reason to believe the myth originated in California before the 1970s and went viral across the U.S. with arrival of the internet.

William K. Hayes, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, California, USA
whayes@llu.edu